Chicken Butchery Calculator: Estimate Yields for Whole Birds or Portioned Cuts

The difference between a live chicken's weight and the amount of meat on the plate is significant. Feathers, blood, gut fill, and trim all reduce the final yield. The Chicken Butchery Calculator helps you understand what you'll actually get from each bird and breaks down the carcass into its major cuts, making it easier to price your products and plan your butchery operation.

The calculator applies a standard 75% dressing percentage from live weight to oven-ready dressed weight, reflecting a typical well-grown broiler. A further 78% yield from dressed weight to portioned cut weight accounts for jointing trim.

Cut breakdown includes breast (both fillets), legs (both), thighs, drumsticks, wings, back, and giblets. Each cut is shown in grams with an approximate retail price per kilogram. Total table value is calculated from the sum of all cuts.

Dressing percentages and cut yields are drawn from AHDB Poultry broiler cutting yield data and commercial poultry processing industry benchmarks. Yields assume a well-fleshed broiler at market weight (typically 2.0–2.5 kg live weight). Birds with poor flesh coverage or very high or low fat levels may differ from these averages.

Enter the live weight of the bird in kilograms. The dressed weight, portioned yield, and cut breakdown will appear immediately. This is particularly useful when pricing whole birds versus portions — a bird selling for £12 as a whole oven-ready bird may be worth more if sold as individual cuts at retail prices. Run the calculation to see whether portioning or whole-bird sales maximises revenue.